In a 5-4 decision that was both complex and restrained, the court declared that the EPA can’t require stationary polluters to get permits solely because they might emit greenhouse gases. This would cover too many small greenhouse-gas sources such as schools and churches, the majority reasoned.

At the same time, the court agreed that, for large polluters that already are regulated for non-greenhouse-gas emissions, the EPA can require the use of so-called best-available control technology.

The ruling doesn’t affect other Obama administration proposals to control greenhouse gases under different Clean Air Act provisions.

Significantly, the court reaffirmed by 7-2 an earlier decision concerning the EPA’s power to regulate greenhouse gasses.

The court also:

• ?Declined to reduce the scope of a federal criminal law against bank fraud, ruling unanimously that prosecutors do not need to prove that defendants intended to defraud a bank.

• ?Made it harder for investors to band together to pursue securities-fraud lawsuits against publicly traded companies, but stopped short of issuing a decision that could have effectively ended such litigation.

The court agreed with Halliburton Co. that companies accused of misleading investors deserved a chance, before a class action is certified, to show that any alleged misrepresentation had no impact on the stock price.

• ?Declined to intervene in the legal fight over a Wisconsin law that requires any doctor performing an abortion to have privileges to admit patients to a nearby hospital.

The justices let stand a ruling by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld a federal judge’s decision to block the law temporarily.

• ?Left in place a ban on sports gambling in New Jersey, rebuffing an attempt to bring betting on sporting events to Atlantic City casinos and the state’s racetracks.

Information from Reuters and the Associated Press was included in this story.